Tourism & Hospitality
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West Virginia University Extension Rural Tourism
West Virginia University Extension provides support for community-based tourism development in West Virginia. Through partnerships with academic faculty and students, we provide research, strategic planning, and technical support that empowers local communities to make informed decisions, honor community values, and improve residents' quality of life.
The primary aim of participatory strategies is for local people to become active subjects in development efforts rather than passive recipients. Specifically, the concept is related to the active involvement of locals in the choice, execution, and evaluation of projects and programs designed to raise their living standards. By relocating decision-making and enabling local communities, we give them ultimate control over the development process.
References
The Mountain Institute. (2000). Community Based Tourism for Conservation and Development: A Resource Kit. Accessed from the Mountain Institute.
Current Projects
The Mon Forest Towns partnership has cultivated relationships across the forest and between stakeholders in forest gateway communities. Through effective planning, research, and capacity building activities, this program has enhanced the economy and quality of life for both residents and visitors while staying committed to environmental values.
Through new partnerships and a collective effort to reach shared goals, Mon Forest Towns has increased towns’ access to resources and fostered greater success. As a founding partner, WVU Extension has provided facilitation, planning, technical assistance, and research support to the development of the partnership. Since 2017, these partners have leveraged more than $8 million to support sustainable development within the region.
The Economic Impact of Mountain Biking in West Virginia
Since 2018, WVU Extension has been tracking the economic impact of mountain biking activities across the state, with a focus on trail events such as races and festivals.
These events provide an opportunity to collect useful data on rider spending and the economic impact generated by riders in the state. The results from these analyses have been used to justify significant investment in trail infrastructure across West Virginia.
Tourism, Resiliency, and Indicators for Post-Pandemic Planning USDA National Institute for Food and Agriculture Integrated Multistate grant
Funded in 2022, this project includes academic faculty and Extension tourism faculty from Penn State, University of Vermont, University of New Hampshire, and the Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development, with WVU Extension acting as the principal investigator.
Objectives
- Identify economic, social, and environmental indicators for sustainable tourism across all U.S. counties and in 3 case study communities.
- Survey residents and visitors in case study destinations to identify social and environmental indicators.
- Deliver Extension programming in targeted gateway communities through pilot programming using the research-based insights generated in objectives 1 and 2.
- Assess change over time and associated impacts, thus providing a mechanism to update the data on a regular basis to monitor changes and reflect on community goals.
Rural Tourism Institute
This project is funded by an ARISE planning grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission and seeks to develop and align resources and expertise in Appalachia’s land-grant universities with strategic support provided by industry experts. Project partners include Extension and academic faculty from West Virginia University, University of Kentucky, and North Carolina State University, as well as industry consultants and local partners.
The Rural Tourism Academy will develop the industry’s first Rural Tourism Executive Certification program that will train rural tourism industry leaders and Extension educators on the principles of sustainable destination management.
The Rural Tourism Lab will be established to leverage land-grant university academic faculty and students to fill critical data and intelligence gaps and provide planning and research support necessary to help destination leaders understand the economic, social, and environmental impacts of tourism to make informed decisions.
Previous Projects
Sustainable Rural Tourism Webinar Series
Through partnerships and collaboration, WVU Extension has been working to build and enhance West Virginia tourism opportunities. Our Extension experts developed the Sustainable Rural Tourism Webinar Series to help West Virginians learn about sustainable rural tourism development using interactive and engaging discussions.
Drawing from the lessons learned in programs implemented over the past 10 years, these sessions are designed to illustrate basic principles and demonstrate how individuals can apply them collaboratively to further enhance the future of tourism in West Virginia.
Sharing Tucker
In 2013, Tucker County citizens established Sharing Tucker, the first county-wide Cultural District Authority in West Virginia. In 2015 the WVU Rural Tourism Design Team partnered with the Tucker Community Foundation and Tucker County Cultural District Authority to conduct research, planning, and design to support the development of a cultural tourism performance agenda for Tucker County through funding support provided by the Benedum Foundation.
Primary Team Members include:
Research Expertise
- Sustainable Tourism
- Destination Management
- Recreation Economies
Research Expertise
- Community Data Analysis
- Economic Impact Analysis
- Rural and Community Economic Development
Peter Butler is the Director of the Community Engagement Lab. His research interests include cultural landscape research and planning, community design processes, industrial landscape reclamation and interpretation, and design studio pedagogy.
His research projects include cultural landscape inventory, analysis and treatment, visualization, brownfields reclamation, land use planning, and participatory design methods.
Research Expertise
- Cultural and Heritage Tourism
- Participatory Design
- Tourism Asset Mapping
- Land Use Planning
Jacquelyn Strager is a research coordinator with the Natural Resource Analysis Center at the Davis College. She works on various applied research efforts, including site specific projects in West Virginia and regional analyses across the Mid-Atlantic Highlands and beyond. Her project work focuses on natural resource, watershed, and environmental issues with a geo-spatial context, making use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and associated technologies.
Research Expertise
- Spatial Analysis
- Participatory GIS
- ARC GIS Online Asset Mapping